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User Review

8.5

I have never really been a huge fan of racing games. However, I’ve always had a soft spot for the Gran Turismo series by Polyphony Digital. I guess that’s because Gran Turismo is more of a racing simulator than a racing game. Gran Turismo 5 is the latest entry into the series and although it doesn’t live up to the hype, it’s still a great game.

Gameplay 8/10

As a racing simulator, the way the vehicles handle is one of the more important aspects of gameplay. In that regard, Gran Turismo 5 is a vast improvement over the games in the series before it. The physics system employed here really gives each car a distinct feel. Even a teenager with a learner’s permit can easily tell a 1969 Mustang from a 2009 Corvette with their eyes closed. Well, if they could still drive with their eyes closed. With that in mind, this is definitely not a pick up and play type game. It will take many hours behind the wheel for a Gran Turismo novice to gain any kind of comfort level. Although, the inclusion of many driving assist options make the transition from arcade racer to simulation racer much easier. There is one thing in particular though that many players, myself included, wanted to see in Gran Turismo 5 that was inexplicably left out. Well, it wasn’t really left out as much as it just wasn’t fully implemented. I’m talking of course about the allowance of all cars to be fully damaged from accidents. Yes, the cars do take damage, but it isn’t very realistic. If you hit a concrete wall head on at 200 mph, it would be crushed. Not in Gran Turismo 5. Here it would look more like you ran into a shopping cart at 25 mph. This is one area where the game was over-hyped, as players were just expecting more from the damage system in a game that was in development for 7 years.

Car Selection/Models 8.5/10

There isn’t a racing game in the galaxy with the car selection on display in Gran Turismo 5. There’s everything from an old VW van, all the way up to prototypes that only exist in some car designers mind. There’s even a DeLorean as seen in the Back To The Future Movie Franchise. How many racing games can boast that? All these cars look gorgeous on the track too, most of all the Premium models. There are two types of cars in this game, Standard and Premium. The Premium models are flawlessly detailed and feature 100% true-to-life cockpit views. Standard cars, while graphically acceptable for a PS3 game, really suffer from the cockpit view standpoint. Each standard car only has a basic shadowy interior with almost no detail. This is very disappointing since the cockpit view is my favourite view to drive from.

Tracks 6/10

Don’t get me wrong, there really is nothing wrong with the tracks in Gran Turismo 5. The low score is based more on lack of variety than anything else. Yes, Polyphony Digital added day and night cycles and changing weather, but unfortunately this great feature isn’t available on all the tracks. This really makes for a high level of redundancy when you consider the vast amount of cars at your disposal, and such a small variety of tracks to drive them on. There is a Course Maker, but it seems more like a last second tack-on than a full fledged feature.

Sound 9/10

I’m not really in love with the soundtrack in this game, but that's easily remedied with the option to play tracks straight from the audio library stored on your PS3 console. Want to drag race while listening to Metallica? Go for it. How about a 100 lap race around Daytona Speedway while blasting Taylor Swift? If you’ve got the songs on your hard drive the opportunity is yours for the taking. Where the sound really shines through are the cars and their corresponding effects. Each car sounds exactly as it should and is easily identifiable by sound alone. Plus, nothing beats the thrill of blowing away that rival car on a straightway while hearing my Camaro roar like the beast that it is.

Final Score 8.5/10

Gran Turismo 5 was over-hyped and it shows with the lack of vehicle damage, poor track selection, and a failure to have all cars rendered as Premium models. Even so, there’s no way to deny it’s an outstanding game because the positives far outweigh the negatives. Gran Turismo 5 is proudly displayed in my gaming collection and is without a doubt my favorite racing game in a long time. Hope to see you in my rear-view mirror very soon. Happy Gaming!

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7.5

As it turns out, this was actually a collaboration between a couple of companies who were interested in the outcomes of the Turtles. Ubisoft, who currently holds the TMNT license, co-published the release with Konomi, who created the original game. In addition, a company known as Digital Eclipse did coding to allow the emulation of the game over the next-generation system. These companies, working together, made this release possible.

Fans of the arcade version will remember the attack button and jump button, faithfully ported over to this new version. These two buttons can be combined to create attack jumps, another type of attack. The enemies flow like a wave at the Turtles, who, of course, have to utilize their mutant ninja abilities to take them on, and down. There are all the old enemies, from the standard foot soldiers, to the evil brain Krang, and the two lieutenants to Shredder, Bebop and Rocksteady, plus the big guy himself.

The gameplay was always difficult, in order to keep players coming back for more, so it's nice that the developers decided to make the offline version have infinite continues. The online version, though, gives players only 20 continues, so they'll have to make them count. The lag in these online games, though it existed, wasn't enough to cause any problems with playing. Playing an online game was easy, too, with options to create a public or a private match, or just jump into a game.

There are also a number of achievement points available. Xbox Live Arcade games have 200 points available, traditionally, and this one is no exception. Getting those points won't be easy, either, with challenges like beating specific bosses without losing more than a certain amount of health, or destroying every one of a certain thing in the whole game. Playing through the whole list will take you a good amount of time, though they can all be done.

One of the best things about this game, other than the nostalgia aspect, is the price tag. The developers decided to release this game for only $5, which anyone who can afford an Xbox and Xbox live can probably handle. There's a lot of fun to be had with it, too, since playing through the game once is only the beginning.

For a good number of fighting game fans out there, a lot of the enjoyment started with playing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles along with your friends at the arcade. For five dollars, which is only twenty quarters, you can have this game in your living room and still keep your significant other. Throw in a steaming pizza, and you've got the recipe for a flashback to one of the few parts of puberty that probably went pretty well.

7.5

As it turns out, this was actually a collaboration between a couple of companies who were interested in the outcomes of the Turtles. Ubisoft, who currently holds the TMNT license, co-published the release with Konomi, who created the original game. In addition, a company known as Digital Eclipse did coding to allow the emulation of the game over the next-generation system. These companies, working together, made this release possible.

Fans of the arcade version will remember the attack button and jump button, faithfully ported over to this new version. These two buttons can be combined to create attack jumps, another type of attack. The enemies flow like a wave at the Turtles, who, of course, have to utilize their mutant ninja abilities to take them on, and down. There are all the old enemies, from the standard foot soldiers, to the evil brain Krang, and the two lieutenants to Shredder, Bebop and Rocksteady, plus the big guy himself.

The gameplay was always difficult, in order to keep players coming back for more, so itÂ’s nice that the developers decided to make the offline version have infinite continues. The online version, though, gives players only 20 continues, so theyÂ’ll have to make them count. The lag in these online games, though it existed, wasn't enough to cause any problems with playing. Playing an online game was easy, too, with options to create a public or a private match, or just jump into a game.

There are also a number of achievement points available. Xbox Live Arcade games have 200 points available, traditionally, and this one is no exception. Getting those points wonÂ’t be easy, either, with challenges like beating specific bosses without losing more than a certain amount of health, or destroying every one of a certain thing in the whole game. Playing through the whole list will take you a good amount of time, though they can all be done.

One of the best things about this game, other than the nostalgia aspect, is the price tag. The developers decided to release this game for only $5, which anyone who can afford an Xbox and Xbox live can probably handle. ThereÂ’s a lot of fun to be had with it, too, since playing through the game once is only the beginning.

For a good number of fighting game fans out there, a lot of the enjoyment started with playing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles along with your friends at the arcade. For five dollars, which is only twenty quarters, you can have this game in your living room and still keep your significant other. Throw in a steaming pizza, and youÂ’ve got the recipe for a flashback to one of the few parts of puberty that probably went pretty well.

8.0

As the story goes, you play Scott Mitchell, a captain in the Ghosts. This elite infantry unit has a long tradition of fighting against poor odds, and succeeding. This mission will be no different, when the presidents of both Mexico and the US are kidnapped during a summit in Mexico City and it’s to you and your team to get them back on track.

One of the first things that will blow you away when you start playing is just how enormous the environment is, and how good it looks. You’ll spend time in a helicopter flying over the city, allowing you to witness just how far the designers took being able to look out. Players will be able to see city all the way to the horizon, along with things going on in the city, like fires from fighting and smoke from factories.

In addition, the enormity of the arena that you will be playing within. in actually factors into the gameplay. Since a lot of missions have you moving from one point to another, the fact that you’re in a real city comes into play, allowing you to take multiple different possible routes to get from here to there. This will put you into situations where you might find an enemy force stopping your movement that you have to decide if you want to try to go around, or try to find a position where you have an advantage on them. These tactical decisions provide an element to the game that many other first-person shooters are missing, that of using your skills to solve a problem, not just kill bad guys.

the game is not just you out there fighting these forces all by yourself, however. You get a team of AI subordinates that you can order around and who will fight by your side. The AI behind them is not the greatest, but they have gone so far to generally provide helpful assistance to you as you play which is a plus.

Additionally, there are support options that you will have access to throughout the game, like being able to call in tanks, UAVs, and helicopter gunships to attack targets for you. Once again, the elements to the game itself provide a greater experience than many other FPSs, with your support craft, and your team-mates being just as susceptible to enemy first as they really would be, meaning you have to play smart with the tools at your disposal for the best results.

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter takes the world of the shooter to the next level, and as a gamer myself is this not what we all want to experience.?

8.0

As the story goes, you play Scott Mitchell, a captain in the Ghosts. This elite infantry unit has a long tradition of fighting against poor odds, and succeeding. This mission will be no different, when the presidents of both Mexico and the US are kidnapped during a summit in Mexico City and its up to you and your team to get them back.

One of the first things that will blow you away when you start playing is just how enormous the environment is, and how good it looks. Youll spend time in a helicopter flying over the city, allowing you to witness just how far the designers took being able to look out. Youll be able to see city all the way to the horizon, along with things going on in the city, like fires from fighting and smoke from factories.

In addition, the enormity of the arena that youre playing in actually factors into the gameplay. Since a lot of missions have you moving from one point to another, the fact that youre in a real city comes into play, allowing you to take multiple different possible routes to get from here to there. This will put you into situations where you might find an enemy force stopping your movement that you have to decide if you want to try to go around, or try to find a position where you have an advantage on them. These tactical decisions provide an element to the game that many other first-person shooters are missing, that of using your skills to solve a problem, not just kill bad guys.

Its not just you out there fighting these forces all by yourself, however. You get a team of AI subordinates that you can order around and who will fight by your side. The AI behind them isn't the greatest, but theyll generally provide helpful assistance to you as you play.

Additionally, there are support options that you will have access to throughout the game, like being able to call in tanks, UAVs, and helicopter gunships to attack targets for you. Once again, the elements to the game itself provide a greater experience than many other FPSs, with your support craft, and your teammates being just as susceptible to enemy first as they really would be, meaning you have to play smart with the tools at your disposal for the best results.

Tom Clancys Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter takes the world of the shooter to the next level. And, as gamers, isn't that what were after?

7.5

As it turns out, this was actually a collaboration between a couple of companies who were interested in the outcomes of the Turtles. Ubisoft, who currently holds the TMNT license, co-published the release with Konomi, who created the original game. In addition, a company known as Digital Eclipse did coding to allow the emulation of the game over the next-generation system. These companies, working together, made this release possible.

Fans of the arcade version will remember the attack button and jump button, faithfully ported over to this new version. These two buttons can be combined to create attack jumps, another type of attack. The enemies flow like a wave at the Turtles, who, of course, have to utilize their mutant ninja abilities to take them on, and down. There are all the old enemies, from the standard foot soldiers, to the evil brain Krang, and the two lieutenants to Shredder, Bebop and Rocksteady, plus the big guy himself.

The gameplay was always difficult, in order to keep players coming back for more, so its nice that the developers decided to make the offline version have infinite continues. The online version, though, gives players only 20 continues, so theyll have to make them count. The lag in these online games, though it existed, wasn't enough to cause any problems with playing. Playing an online game was easy, too, with options to create a public or a private match, or just jump into a game.

Getting the points won't be easy, either, with challenges like beating specific bosses without losing more than a certain amount of health, or destroying every one of a certain thing in the whole game. Playing through the whole list will take you a good amount of time, though they can all be done.

For a good number of fighting game fans out there, a lot of the enjoyment started with playing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles along with your friends at the arcade. For five dollars, which is only twenty quarters, you can have this game in your living room and still keep your significant other. Throw in a steaming pizza, and youve got the recipe for a flashback to one of the few parts of puberty that probably went pretty well.